Over the past few days, I've posted a bunch of new resources on the website portion of my site. Here are the recent additions:

1.

This is a classroom lesson for early elementary that discusses what it means to be excellent. I used the book Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great, which is hilarious! I HIGHLY recommend it! After reading the book together, students filled out cupcakes with their strengths, which went on a class poster (left).

2.

This lesson is geared toward middle to upper elementary and allows for a lot of whole group and small group discussions about anger and bullying. The angry bird theme is a great way to grab your students' attention, creating a buzz of excitement that you need for a lesson that involves so much reflection.

5.

This is a great opportunity to help students self-reflect. The idea of an iceberg came from a popular Challenge Day exercise where students think about what it means to live "above the water line," and stop hiding who they really are. We want to be comfortable in our own skin, because that is where we can feel true peace and happiness.

On this paper, students write what other people see (top of the iceberg) and what they hide (bottom of the iceberg). This can be an emotional activity, so be prepared for a longer session, if needed. You could also use this paper with small groups or classrooms.

My school was just named a Mix it Up Model School through Teaching Tolerance! Want to host your own Mix it Up at Lunch Day and try for the 2015 Model School honor? Then check out the video podcast below and my Mix it Up page to learn how I run my program.

You may remember a school-wide program we implemented at my school that involved grade levels earning ice cream scoops for showing respect in the cafeteria. Well, that program was a success, so we decided to try another good behavior competition using a popcorn theme. The big difference, other than the visual, is that grades can earn their reward much quicker (2 school weeks). For more information about our good behavior competitions, check out this page.

I interviewed Stephanie Moore, my friend and fellow school counselor, about her wonderful school-wide program. Vehicle Day is a way to help students learn about a variety of careers through the vehicles that the companies use. To learn more about Vehicle Day and to download helpful documents, check out the official page.

It's the first snow day I've had in 2 years, so I'm excited for the unexpected opportunity to relax...and my definition of relaxing is movies, theatre, and blogging.

Movies

These are some of the movies I've been digging lately. All 3 deal with tough topics and can certainly help school counselors reflect on the challenges their students experience. While there are inappropriate parts in each film, there are brilliant clips that students could benefit from as well. For additional movie suggestions, visit my Amazon store.

I know many of you have watched Shane Koyczan's powerful visual poem about bullying. When I saw it for the first time, I couldn't help but cry - I became a school counselor because I want to help students who feel broken become whole again. This is the kind of thing that stirs the helper and healer inside of me.But...the poem also made me think about my own childhood. I had trouble in school, I was made fun of...but...did I inflict pain on others in order to fit in? Did I say something I thought was funny, but really damaged someone's self-worth? The thought haunts me sometimes, because I may never know how I'm truly perceived through another person's lense.

I discuss this with my students, because not only do I not want students to feel bullied, I also don't want students to live with regret. I don't want anyone to be the villain in someone else's memory. I, like most of us, will never know the extent to which my kindness and my cruelty (intentional or not) have impacted others. My hope is that we all take a step back and reflect on our actions, good or bad. Then, and only then, can we become better people.

Theatre

Right now, I'm preparing for The Laramie Project and The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, my 4th and 5th shows of the season. These plays discuss the aftermath of Matthew Shepard's murder in Laramie, Wyoming. We have a company of 13 actors who are dividing up over 100 roles, which are, in actuality, real people who were interviewed in Laramie.

I first read The Laramie Project my freshman year at Bowling Green State University, because it was the Honors Program's "community read." It broke my heart as I discovered more about Matthew Shepard and the town he lived in. Matthew was gay. One night, he was tied to a fence and savagely beaten by two Laramie men. When he was found, Matthew was barely breathing and days later, died in a Poudre Valley hospital. Members of Tectonic Theater Project interviewed the people of Laramie and created a moving play based on those interviews. Ten years later, they came back to see how things had or had not changed. "The original will move you, the follow-up will shock you." More on these productions will be posted soon!

Blogging

I recently added a new school-wide program to my website. It's a friendly, good behavior competition my school started to improve cafeteria behavior. For more information on this program, click here.

In other news, Elementary School Counseling.org was featured in the January/February issue of ASCA School Counselor! The article, Get on the BloggingBandwagon, was written by Darrell Sampson, the founder of From the Counselor's Office blog. Check it out!